I like to watch foreign films and this past weekend, I took the time to watch two. One was called Flammen et Citron and the other was called Army of Shadows. Both dealt with the resistance in World War II. I’m fascinated by the people who were so daring as to take part in those activities. One of my novels coming out this year has a character who was in the Resistance. Since the book is a romance, I didn’t get into the darkness of that kind of war within a war.
The first film I watched was about two Dutch men who executed Dutch traitors as well as Nazis. It was dark and disturbing as the war itself must have been. The lines were blurred and knowing who to trust was very difficult if not impossible for those men. This movie was based on two real people and it was a very harsh look at the ugliness of war.
The second one I watched this weekend was Army of Shadows and was written and directed by two men who were actually in the French Resistance. It was also dark and gritty but there were lots of heroic moments in it. The characters in this story were also in situations where they had to do things they probably would’ve never dreamed of doing in non-war times. In this film, there’s an actor who plays a former pilot who joins the Resistance. He’s super handsome and I thought he looked kind of familiar. I saw his name in the opening credits and wondered if he was the father or somehow related to one of my favorite French actors.
Once the movie was over, I looked him up and, what do you know, he was the father of the man I was thinking about. The slideshow is of the father and son, John-Pierre Cassel and Vincent Cassel. I love that they both followed the same career path. I can’t wait to check out more of the father’s films. He was one good looking man and a wonderful actor.
Jillian Chantal 
I love British flicks. I suppose this only supports my claims to be an anglophile. I don’t consciously look for them, but if I happen to be guided in that direction, I’m usually all over it like syrup on a pancake. Billy Elliot, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, The Madness of King George, Kinky Boots, etc. While I don’t know if they’re considered real foreign films, I adore them all.
By: danicaavet on January 31, 2012
at 7:30 am
I love British films, too. Major Anglophile here. Always have been. Im drawn to them, too. These two were in French and Dutch. One was based in Copenhagen and one in Paris.
By: Jillian Chantal on January 31, 2012
at 7:41 am
I realized after I sent that reply that you were talking about foreign language films, LOL. I can’t get into movies with subtitles. It reminds me of watching the old Kung Fu shows when I was younger, LOL
Although, now that I think about it, didn’t Rumble in the Bronx with Jackie Chan have subtitles?
By: danicaavet on January 31, 2012
at 10:51 am
I did NOT see that Jackie Chan movie. I like foreign films with meat to them. LOL! I also like them undubbed. Subtitles don’t bother me. There is one I love that’s in Dutch and it’s called Black Book. It’s so action packed, you forget you’re reading. Such a good film.
By: Jillian Chantal on January 31, 2012
at 10:57 am
And, oh, yeah. the old Kung Fu movies were awful- the lips and words were soooo off!!
By: Jillian Chantal on January 31, 2012
at 10:57 am
I’ll admit it. I’m not much into foreign films. Maybe that’s because I haven’t seen many. I do, after watching the SAG awards, want to see the new silent film, The Artist, though.
By: Laurie Ryan on January 31, 2012
at 7:31 pm
I definitely want to see The Artist. I have to be in the mood to see these kind of films as I have to focus totally on them and I can’t sit still sometimes long enough not to look away. LOL!
By: Jillian Chantal on January 31, 2012
at 7:45 pm
I highy recommend Black Book as one to start with. Very fast paced. You forget you’re reading.
By: Jillian Chantal on January 31, 2012
at 7:45 pm